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Leicester chief explains how Ranieri aced job interview

Leicester City vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has explained how Claudio Ranieri convinced the Foxes to appoint him last summer.

Two days after lifting the Premier League trophy with Leicester, Ranieri won the Enzo Bearzot award as Italy’s coach of the season in Rome on Monday.

Nobody would now begrudge the 64-year-old getting an improved contract at the King Power Stadium, but there was not such universal appreciation of Leicester’s decision to appoint him last summer.

Ranieri admitted he was snubbed by Championship clubs following his dismissal from Greece in 2014, but Aiyawatt, known as Top, says the board never had any doubts after an interview.

He said: “No, we believed in him. We felt he wanted to be a success. I know everyone wants to be a success but he was the right guy with the plans, the right guy who said what we wanted to hear. That is very important when we interview someone.

“I asked him (about Greece) because I wanted to know. He answered everything very clearly, why he failed there, why things happened in the past. I love his character and the way he talks. And now you have seen how he takes the pressure off everyone and the club. He knows how to manage that well.”

But Top, son of Leicester owner Vichai, is ready to sit down with Ranieri after they finish the season at his former club Chelsea on Sunday.

“At the end of the season we will talk about that with him,” he said. “We will sit down together, it’s not fair to talk now with one game to go. When we talk about something, it’s long term, not just until September.

“I like people to work for me when they are happy and enjoy working with the group of people.”